Pick a clean, professional template that keeps your drafting skills front and center. Use a reverse-chronological layout so your recent CAD and shop drawings sit at the top where hiring managers look first. This layout reads well and parses reliably for applicant tracking systems (ATS).
Keep length to one page if you have under 10 years' relevant work. If you have long, relevant project history, spread to two pages and cut unrelated roles. Keep each bullet concise and measurable.
Use ATS-friendly fonts like Calibri, Arial, Georgia, or Garamond. Set body text to 10–12pt and headers to 14–16pt. Leave generous margins and white space so drawings, tools, and certifications stand out.
Use clear section headings: Contact, Summary or Objective, Skills, Experience, Projects, Education, Certifications, Tools. Put CAD software and drafting standards near the top under Skills. Use standard headings so ATS finds key terms.
Avoid heavy graphic elements, multi-column layouts, and embedded images of text. Those formats can break parsing and hide critical skills like AutoCAD and SolidWorks. Stick to simple bullet lists and left-aligned dates and titles.
Watch these mistakes: burying CAD tools in long paragraphs, inconsistent date formats, tiny fonts to squeeze content, and overusing colors. Double-check spacing, font sizes, and alignment before you export to PDF.
Finally, tailor your bullets to the job. Show drawings completed, tolerances met, and any collaboration with engineers or fabricators. Use numbers where you can, like sheet counts, lead times, or error reductions.